Description

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From #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING author Jennifer Niven, a novel about America’s favorite TV family, whose perfect façade cracks, for fans of Lessons in Chemistry and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo.

"I LOVED Meet the Newmans!" —Judy Blume, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"[A] WITTY AND MOVING novel." —People

For two decades, Del and Dinah Newman and their sons, Guy and Shep, have ruled television as America’s Favorite Family. Millions of viewers tune in every week to watch them play flawless, black-and-white versions of themselves. But now it’s 1964, and the Newmans’ idealized apple-pie perfection suddenly feels woefully out of touch. Ratings are in free fall, as are the Newmans themselves. Del is keeping an explosive secret from his wife, and Dinah is slowly going numb—literally. Steady, stable Guy is hiding the truth about his love life, and the charmed luck of rock ‘n roll idol Shep may have finally run out.

When Del—the creative motor behind the show—is in a mysterious car accident, Dinah decides to take matters into her own hands. She hires Juliet Dunne, an outspoken, impassioned young reporter, to help her write the final episode. But Dinah and Juliet have wildly different perspectives about what it means to be a woman, and a family, in 1964. Can the Newmans hold it together to change television history? Or will they be canceled before they ever have the chance?

Funny, big-hearted, and deeply moving, Meet the Newmans is a rich family story about the dual lives we lead. Because even when our lives aren’t televised weekly, we all have a behind-the-scenes.

About the Author

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Jennifer Niven is the #1 New York Times and internationally bestselling author of thirteen books, fiction and nonfiction, including the massive breakout All the Bright Places, which she also adapted for film. Her award-winning books have been translated into more than seventy-five languages and have sold upward of 3.5 million copies worldwide. Jennifer has loved television and film her whole life and has been lucky enough to develop projects with Netflix, Sony, ABC and Warner Bros. She divides her time between coastal Georgia and Los Angeles with her husband and literary cats.

Praise For…

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Praise for Meet the Newmans

“A love letter to TV and its history.” —People

"Fan of Lessons in Chemistry will love Meet the Newmans." —Woman's World

"A delightful, moving, and compelling tale that will resonate in these changing times." —Booklist

“I loved Meet the Newmans! The characters jump off the page. I appreciated the subtle feminist twist and the humor. Jennifer is always good but this is one of her best.”
—Judy Blume, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Tapping into a keen sense of family fault lines, Jennifer Niven gives us the Newmans—a seemingly perfect television family who, once the cameras stop rolling, are barely holding it together in a rapidly changing world. Warm, witty, and wise, this is a novel about reclaiming the narrative when the cost of pretending becomes too high to bear."
—Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, New York Times bestselling author of The Nest

"Wonderful in every way, Meet the Newmans held me spellbound from the first page. Wildly addictive, thought-provoking and funny, and with a stellar cast I fell in love with on the spot. I adored it."
—Rosie Welsh, New York Times bestselling author of Ghosted

"Jennifer Niven is a master at crafting a glittery facade and then showing us in full hilarious, heartbreaking detail what lies beneath. Trust me, you don't want to miss meeting these Newmans."
—Steven Rowley, New York Times bestselling author of The Guncle

"A delicious and devour-able novel set in a mid-century Stone Age, Meet the Newmans will hold you in your chair and remind you (with a winning smile) how recently won are many of our freedoms. Jennifer Niven gives us a leading lady who is above all not supposed to lead—but figures out how to do it anyway. Like the Newmans themselves, the surface sparkles, and just beneath lie murkier truths that won’t stay put."
—Emma Knight, New York Times bestselling author of The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus

"Jennifer Niven gives us an intimate look into a television family at a moment of secret upheaval, when their deepest fears and most urgent desires collide and nothing will be the same again. Set in a historical moment that resonates with many of our current cultural concerns, Meet the Newmans is moving and engaging--and a complete delight."
—Nina LaCour, national bestselling author of Yerba Buena

“Jennifer Niven’s Meet the Newmans is both a fascinating time capsule of 1960s America and a story that still feels fresh and relevant today. Readers will cheer as each member of this famous television family begins to figure out their place in a changing world. Whip-smart dialogue, a page-turning plot, and an ending that is heartwarming and oh-so satisfying! I loved this one.”
—Jennifer Mathieu, author of The Faculty Lounge

“Turn off the TV and read this book! Meet the Newmans is a warm, humorous, emotionally resonant tale of family and feminism, exploring the hidden layers of our everyday lives.”
—Camille Perri, author of The Assistants and When Katie Met Cassidy

"Glamorous and nostalgic, chaotic and warm-hearted, but with important things to say--the perfect recipe for an immersive read about a family in the spotlight and the truth behind the façade. You will fall in love with all the Newmans, but especially Dinah, juggling fame, motherhood and being the perfect wife. Compulsive reading--I loved it!"
—Veronica Henry, international bestselling author of How to Find Love in a Bookshop

“Meet the Newmans is a clever and cathartic exploration of intergenerational female rage. I was immediately drawn in by the brilliant premise and the tongue-in-cheek way it scrutinizes the dual lives all of us lead. I came to care so deeply for every member of this family. By the end I was both bereft and in disbelief that the Newmans are fictional. It’s Mad Men meets Daisy Jones, which is a Venn diagram I very much wanted to be in the middle of. I loved it!”
—Anna Brook-Mitchell, author of Mother Faker